El Paso County sheriff details nearly $40 million public safety tax spending, outlines new east substation plan

Sheriff Joseph Bridal told the El Paso County Board of County Commissioners on Sept. 30 that the county's public safety sales tax is financing nearly $40 million in law-enforcement and emergency-response spending and described how the funds are being used to expand staffing, equipment and facilities.

Bridal said the public safety tax total shown in his presentation is $39,924,700, and that money is “dedicated exclusively to meeting the public safety needs of El Paso County.” He told commissioners it covers salary, benefits and taxes for 197 employees in his office and pays for vehicles, body-worn cameras, radios, evidence storage and training.

The sheriff gave a line-item summary in his presentation: just over $11.5 million for law-enforcement personnel, equipment and supplies in that bureau; about $5 million for training; and nearly $1 million for employee and mission support, including administrative supplies and facility upgrades. Bridal also said the office recently upgraded patrol vehicles to sport-utility vehicles and is transitioning some units to Ford F-150 pickups to improve capability in varying terrain.

Bridal described several program and operations changes funded by the sales tax. He said the sheriff's office increased its partnership with the state fire team, and that 11 full‑time state firefighters are now stationed in El Paso County “at no cost to the taxpayers.” He also said the county's wildland firefighting capacity has grown from three volunteers when he took office to 22 volunteers and that he expects to hire a fourth full‑time wildland firefighter.

On detention and transport, Bridal said the office saw higher extradition costs in recent years and that the commissioners previously approved an additional $500,000 to execute writs and transport prisoners. He said the office now has contracts with three extradition companies after issuing an RFP, which he said saves money compared with using staff for long interstate transports.

Bridal said the office is implementing an east-substation model intended to reduce time spent driving detainees and to free patrol deputies for calls for service. He described the planned facility as a “fully functional police station” with a sally port, holding cells, interview rooms and evidence storage, and said it will allow deputies to drop off detainees locally while intake-and-release or court-transport staff pick them up later. Bridal said a ribbon-cutting is expected about a year from now.

Nikki Simmons, the county chief financial officer, gave a revenue update tied to the sheriff's presentation. Simmons said the 2025 public safety tax was budgeted at about $39.8 million and that current projections show receipts coming in just over $1 million below that estimate; she added that overall the county's collections are roughly flat compared with the previous year and that the shortfall is not expected to force staff reductions.

Bridal also highlighted nonbudget items: a new emergency-operations center and an intelligence-based operations center tied to the county's 9-1-1 authority, expanded training programs for tactical teams and school-resource certifications, and an in-jail therapeutic response program that the sheriff said received a national award.

Commissioners asked detailed budget questions. Commissioner Christian Applegate asked what portion of the sheriff's workforce is funded by the public safety tax; Bridal said it is “around 30, just under 30%.” Vice Chair Williams and others asked about revenue projections and the timing for the substation; Bridal said the substation is planned to be open in about a year and reiterated that the county is positioning staffing to maintain response capacity.

Bridal framed the sales tax as a protected revenue source that voters approved to support public safety functions, and commissioners on the dais praised the office's transparency and said the funding helps maintain core services across incorporated and unincorporated areas of the county.

Votes at a glance: the meeting recorded one formal vote earlier in the agenda when the board approved the consent calendar (agenda item 5), moved and seconded during the consent portion and adopted by roll call 5–0.